10 Worst Things About Being An Author

It's Easy To Get Lost In Your Own Thoughts

An #author's mind is a mixing pot of ideas and interwoven #plot points. There are more voices than can possibly be healthy. We're always inclined to write down what we're thinking too, because those words, that feeling, that brokenness is exactly what our next #book needs. Just as much as a #reader will lose themselves in a #book, #authors lose themselves in the world of #imagination that creates those books.

Your Back Hurts

#Authors spend a ridiculous amount of time hunched over a notebook or laptop. There is just no avoiding the inevitable bad back. And neck. By the time a #book is finished, I can hardly walk and I just want to curl up in a ball and forget everything, unless someone is willing to walk on my back.

Throughout history most of the saddest people were #writers. Health.com even says that #writing is one of the top ten professions most likely to lead to depression. I don't know if its because that unhappiness leads to genius or that the genius leads to unhappiness, but its fair to say, we writers are a temperamental, emotional bunch.

We spend all day #writing, sat alone at our desk or in a coffee shop. We watch the world go by and #write, all the while forgetting what it actually is to interact with other human beings.

The Financial Uncertainty

Most of the time we ignore the fact that there are absolutely no guarantees. We say it doesn't matter that we have no idea how much #money we'll make from our next #release. It doesn't matter if it's enough to live or cover #expenses. That's just the price of #art. But god, in the dark at night, when I'm lying in bed thinking about it... yeah, it matters then.

Feeling Exposed

With every new book, we show a little more of our #soul to the world outside. We uncover some #secret we'd vowed never to share or we sob as we #write our own #feelings onto the paper. It's scary as hell and we get through it by telling ourselves that it's just the character's feelings, not ours.

Writer's Block

More often than I care to admit, I hit a wall. My #writing stagnates and anything that I actually put to paper is pure SHIT! But for the most part, I can't even get the words onto the paper.

Selling Yourself

#Authors have to work hard to #promote their work but at the same time it's super awkward and we really don't want to be #spammy asshats. So we try to build #relationship instead. We try to introduce you to us the person and hope that you might actually like us.

Comparing Yourself

There's always another #author who is doing better, making more #money, #writing better #books. Sometimes, it is easy to forget that we've all got different #stories to tell. It's important to #learn from others, compare yourselves just enough to improve but never enough to get downhearted.

Family Expectations & Pressure

When I first started #writing, I was terrified what my #family might think. So scared in fact, that I kept it a #secret for over a year. Now, I'm more willing to open up about it, although I still get #nervous. My gran tells everyone about my #books and is always asking me for the next one. Seriously, she finishes one and expects the next one to be on the way. I'm quick but I'm not that quick.